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<h1>Wood</h1>

<p><a href="http://www.martinguitar.com/featuresmaterials/featuresmaterials/tonewood.html">Martin Tone Woods</a></p>

<dl class="tools" onclick="toolListClick( event );">

<dt><a name="african-blackwood">African Blackwood</a></dt>
<dd><img src="../img/fig-080a.jpg" alt="african blackwood"/></dd>
<dd>Alias: Mozambique Ebony, Grenadill (german).</dd>
<dd>Scientific name: Dalbergia melanoxylon (latin)</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/32504/0">www.iucnredlist.org</a></dd>
<dd>Very hard, very dense, very oily.</dd>
<dd>Workability: Difficult to glue to oilyness.</dd>

<dt><a name="ebony">African Ebony</a></dt>
<dd>Latin: Diospyros crassiflora</dd>

<dt><a name="alder">Alder</a></dt>

<dt><a name="ash">Ash</a></dt>

<dt><a name="afb-blackwood">Australian Blackwood</a></dt>
<dd><img src="../img/fig-032a.jpg" alt="australian fiddleback blackwood"/></dd>
<dd>Hardwood. Hard, light, nice figured. For backs and sides. Used on an acoustic steel-string. Alternative for Hawaiian Koa.</dd>
<dd>Common names: Australian Blackwood, Tasmanian Blackwood, Acacia Blackwood.</dd>
<dd>Scientific name: Acacia melanoxylon.</dd>
<dd>Distribution: Tasmania, eastern Australia; Africa, South America, southern Asia.</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/australian-blackwood/">http://www.wood-database.com</a></dd>

<dt><a name="back-gidgee">Black Gidgee</a></dt>
<dd>Acacia argyrodendron, Black Gedyea, blackwood.</dd>
<dd>8 to 25 m in height, dark grey to black bark.</dd>
<dd>Origin: Central Queensland</dd>
<dd>Application: Fretboard, brigde.</dd>

<dt><dt><a name="back-gidgee-tapu">Black Gidgee,</a></dt>
<dd>Synonyms: Gidgee, back gidgee, tawu.</dd>
<dd>Scientific name: Acacia pruinocarpa.</dd>
<dd>Application: Fretboard, bridge.</dd>
</dt>

<dt>Bloodwood</dt>
<dd>Common names: Bloodwood, Satine.</dd>
<dd>Scientific names:  Brosimum rubescens, Brosimum paraense</dd>
<dd>Very hard, dense.</dd>
<dd>Color: Intensive red to brownish-red. The red changes/darkens with age and exposure to light.</dd>
<dd>Workability: Easily splinters, tears out on the router, but sands good. Does not bend well, easily breaks. Beware of the fine saw dust, work outside if possible.</dd>
<dd>Used for: Fretboards (although frets may not sit well due to the wood's hardness).</dd>
<dd>Pricing: Intensive red pieces are scarce and thus expensive.</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/bloodwood/">http://www.wood-database.com</a></dd>

<dt>Bocote</dt>

<dt>Boxwood</dt>
<dd>Scientific name: Buxus</dd>
<dd>Dense, heavy, fine grained, resistant to splitting and chipping (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buxus">wikipedia</a>).</dd>

<dt><a name="bunya">Bunya Pine</a></dt>

<dt><a name="buckeye">Buckeye</a></dt>
<dd>German: Rosskastanie</dd>

<dt><a name="cedar"> Cedar</a></dt>
<dd>Softwood. For back and sides. </dd>

<dt><a name="yellow-cedar">Yellow Cedar</a></dt>
<dd>Used for sides and back.</dd>

<dt><a name="cedrela"> Cedrela</a></dt>
<dd>Cedrela odorata. Hardwood. For neck. Smells good. Light weighted, but strong enough to hold the shape. Strucure is similar to Mahogany, but lighter in color and weight.</dd>
<dd>Origin: Central America.</dd>


<dt><a name="cocobolo">Cocobolo</a></dt>
<dd>Scientific name: Dalbergia retusa Hemsl.</dd>
<dd>Distribution: Mid and northern parts of South America, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, northern Columbia; in costal areas.</dd>
<dd>Hardwood. Dense, hard, red-brown with dard stripes. Hard to work with. Very oily, which makes it difficult to glue.</dd>
<dd>Specific weight @ 15% dryness: 1030 kg/m<sup>3</sup></dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.materialarchiv.ch/detail/1421/Cocobolo">Materialarchiv</a></dd>
	
<dt><a name="cypress">Cypress</a></dt>
<dd>Traditionally used in flamenco guitars.</dd>

<dt><a name="dfir">Douglas Fir</a></dt>

<dt><a name="engelmann-spruce">Engelmann Spruce</a></dt>
<dd>Used for soundboards.</dd>

<dt><a name="eurospruce">European Spruce</a></dt>
<dd>Origin: European Alps, Hungaria, Bulgaria. Pale in color. Perfect quartersawn shows cross-grain growth marks(medullary rays). Very light, very stiff, soft.</dd>
<dd>Used for soundboards.</dd>

<dt><a name="gidgee">Gidgee</a></dt>
<dd><img src="../img/fig-032e.jpg" alt="Gidgee"/> <img src="../img/fig-032f.jpg" alt="Gidgee"/> <img src="../img/fig-032g.jpg" alt="Gidgee"/> <img src="../img/fig-032i.jpg" alt="Gidgee trees Longreach, Bracaldine"/> <img src="../img/fig-032j.jpg" alt="pen blanks"/></dd>
<dd>Refers to any number of species of the acacia growingi in arid or semi-arid areas.</dd>
<dd>Other names: Gidyea</dd>
<dd>Scientific names: Acacia cambagei, Acacia pruinocarpa.</dd>
<dd>Distribution: Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, endemic.</dd>
<dd>Rare, not threatened. Trunks height 12 m, diameter 30 cm. Janka 1575. Grain is fine and even, sometimes flamed (ringed gidgee), of dark chocoloate brown to black color, sometimes with streaks of purple.</dd>
<dd>Used for fretboards.</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/gidgee/">www.wood-database.com</a></dd>
<dd><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gidgee">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gidgee</a></dd>

<dt>Haselfichte</dt>
<dd><img src="../img/fig-032h.jpg" alt="Haselfichte"/></dd>
<dd>Origin: Austria, Tirol, <a href="http://www.provinz.bz.it/forst/landesbetrieb/klangholz.asp">Latemar Woods</a>, <a href="http://nordtiroler-haselfichte.com">nordtiroler-haselfichte.com</a>.</dd>
<dd></dd>

<dt>Indian Rosewood</dt>
<dd>Dalbergia latifolia.</dd>

<dt><a name="katalox">Katalox</a></dt>
<dd>Common names: Mexican Ebony.</dd>
<dd>Scientific name: Swartzia spp., Swartzia cubensis.</dd>
<dd>Color: dark, black, with a hint of purple; reddish brown with black streaks. Sapwood is pale yellowish white.</dd>
<dd>Very dense, very hard. Fine pores. Oily.</dd>
<dd>Difficult to work. Tearout when grain is interlocked. Difficutlt to glue. Excellent replacement for Ebony.</dd>
<dd><a href="http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/katalox/">www.wood-database.com</a></dd>

<dt>Kevazinga</dt>
<dd><img src="../img/fig-081.jpg" /></dd>
<dd>Supplier: <a href="http://www.wisewoodveneer.com/photogallery.html">wisewoodveneer.com</a></dd>

<dt><a name="kingw-pine">King William Pine</a></dt>

<dt><a name="koa">Koa</a></dt>
<dd>Scientific name: Acacia Koa.</dd>
<dd>Distribution: Hawaii, endemic.</dd>
<dd>Workability: Easy, sands well. Occasionally problems with glueing.</dd>
<dd>Quite stable to humidity changes due to a very low tangential/radial shrinkage ratio.</dd>
<dd>Pricing: High due to limited ressources.</dd>

<dt><a name="lime">Lime</a></dt>
<dd>Softwood. Flexible.</dd>

<dt><a name="mahogany">Mahogany</a></dt>
<dd>Latin: Meliaceae</dd>
<dd>Hardwood. Red-brown. Easy to work. For neck, back and sides.</dd>
<dd>Origin: Brazil, Honduras.</dd>
<dd>Brinell: 14&ndash;17</dd>

<dt>Meranti</dt>
<dd>Meranti is a trade name.</dd>
<dd>Brinell: 21&ndash;26. </dd>
<dd>Properties: Elastic, susceptible to dents.</dd>

<dt><a name="mulga">Mulga</a></dt>
<dd><img src="../img/fig-032b.jpg" alt="Mulga"/> <img src="../img/fig-032c.jpg" alt="Mulga"/> <img src="../img/fig-032d.jpg" alt="Mulga (left), Gidgee (right), wet"/></dd>
<dd>Scientific name: Acacia aneura</dd>
<dd>Hard, dense. </dd>
<dd>Origin: Australia (endemic), Queensland.</dd>
<dd>Links: <a href="http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulga">de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulga</a></dd>
<dd>Application: Fretboards, bridges.</dd>

<dt><a name="ovangkol">Ovangkol</a></dt>
<dd>For neck, back and sides. Somewhat dark, hard, evenly structured, sometimes like Satinwood.</dd>

<dt><a name="padouk">Padouk</a></dt>
<dd>Genus: Pterocarpus</dd>
<dd>Synonyms: Padauk, padouk, mukwa, narra, amboyna (burl form).</dd>
<dd>Pterocarpus soyauxii = African Padauk</dd>
<dd>Pterocarpus macrocarpus = Burmese Padauk</dd>
<dd>Pterocarpus dalbergioides = Andaman Padauk</dd>
<dd>Most species in the pterocarpus genus give valuable timber, traded as padouk. Timber resembles rosewood, but structure is coarser and figure is less decorative.</dd>
<dd>Bright red orange. When exposed to sunlight, changes to warm brown over time. Timber has large (huge) pores, which requires several rounds of filling. Substances dissolve in water or alcohol and can be used as dyes. Resonant wood, used in marimbas and xylophones. Very loud, almost bell-like tap tones, very resonant, lots of overtones.</dd>
<dd>Application: Back, sides.</dd>
<dd>References: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterocarpus">Wikipedia</a>, <a href="http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/african-padauk/">The Wood Database</a></dd>

<dt>Pau Ferro</dt>

<dt><a name="queensmaple">Queensland Maple</a></dt>
<dd>Scientific name: Flindersia brayleyana</dd>
<dd>Although the common name implies somewhat maple, the plant is more related to orange trees. With respect to guitar building, it is similar to mahogany.</dd>
<dd>Applications: Neck, back, sides.</dd>

<dt><a name="redwood">Redwood</a></dt>
<dd>German: Mammutbaum</dd>

<dt><a name="silver-fir">Silver Fir</a></dt>
<dd>Used for sounboard.</dd>

<dt><a name="sitka-spruce">Sitka Spruce</a></dt>
<dd>America. Straw-colored, more intence cross-grain growth marks, quite attractive. Light-weight, stiff.</dd>

<dt>Snakewood</dt>
<dd>Common names: Snakewood, Letterwood.</dd>
<dd>Scientific names: Brosimum guianense, Piratinera guianensis</dd>
<dd>Distribution: Coastal areas of northeast South America.</dd>
<dd>Trunk diameter: Small (30 cm).</dd>
<dd>Very hard, very dense, very heavy, brittle, splinters easily, finishes to high polish.</dd>
<dd>Avaliability: Rare.</dd>

<dt><a name="sycamore">Sycamore</a></dt>
<dd>Easy to work.</dd>

<dt><a name="walnut">Walnut</a></dt>
<dd>German: Walnuss.</dd>
<dd>Acoustically good like plain Maple. Easy to work.</dd>
<dd><a name="imbuya">Imbuya</a> or Brazilian Walnut. Good for backs and sides.</dd>

<dt><a name="wenge">Wenge</a></dt>
<dd>Hardwood. Hard and dense. Grain is very open. Rings like rio rosewood. For back and sides. Very hard to plane.</dd>

<dt><a name="western-cedar">Western Red Cedar</a></dt>
<dd>North Amarica. Much darker than european spruce, red-brown.</dd>

<dt><a name="willow">Willow</a></dt>
<dd>Softwood. Flexible.</dd>

<dt><a name="yew">Yew</a></dt>
<dd>Taxaceae. Softwood.</dd>
<dd>Various origins: Asia, europe, america.</dd>

</dl>

<p>Flamed maple is cut radially, birds-eye maple is cut tangentially to give the best figures. Otherwise the features would be lost.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.holzhandel.de/term/holz-abc/">www.holzhandel.de</a></p>

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